Episode 544: "Chasing Chasing Amy," "Conclave," and "Nickel Boys"

We start with CHASING CHASING AMY (1:44), trans filmmaker Sav Rodgers’ documentary about his relationship with Kevin Smith’s CHASING AMY, and an exploration of Rodgers’ reverence for Kevin Smith’s at-the-time groundbreaking but now much-more-questioned-about-its-narrative-ideas lesbian-falls-for-a-straight-man rom-com. Over the course of six years, Rodgers’ feelings change as he transitions, and interviews Smith, queer filmmakers and critics, academics, his own fiancée Riley (whom we all love), and Joey Lauren Adams, CHASING AMY’s star, who has *very* different feelings about it than writer-director Smith. It’s a fascinating watch. Next, there’s CONCLAVE (25:31), director Edward Berger’s film about a papal conclave, run by Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), choosing a new pontiff, and the political and religious machinations that go along with it. Dave had resisted seeing this, but finally relented. And…did he like it the way Evan and Megan do? Finally, there’s NICKEL BOYS (45:41), director and co-writer RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. We have differing opinions about it, in particular the style in which it’s filmed, but we all found things we like about it, Megan in particular. Over on Patreon, we talk about Clint Eastwood’s final film (we’re told) as director, the courtroom drama JUROR NO. 2.